Saint Theresa (Patron of Lung Ailments)

Patron Saint: Lung Ailments

Also Known as: Saint Theresa of Lisieux

Additional Patronages: Flower Growers, Missionaries, AIDS Sufferers, Loss of Parents and Aviators
"For me, prayer is a surge of the heart; it is a simple look turned toward heaven, it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy."

- Saint Therese of Lisieux

 

Prayer of St. Teresa (Novena to the Little Flower - Day 1):
O Heavenly Father, Who in Thine ineffable goodness didst place in the soul of Saint Theresa of the Child Jesus the precious treasure of sanctifying grace, and didst grant her ever to keep it in the midst of earthly dangers, we pray Thee to grant to us for our part the happiness of never losing this inestimable gift whereby we become Thine adopted children, the brothers and sisters of Thy Son Jesus, the temples of the Holy Spirit and the heirs of Heaven.

Enable us, to this end, carefully to avoid mortal sin which would rob us of this grace more to be desired than all the wealth of the world, to fly the occasions of sin, and to resist temptation.

We implore these graces through the intercession of the one who was ever Thy faithful child and whose memory we venerate.

Saint Theresa of the Child Jesus, who would have preferred to die rather than lose God's grace, vouchsafe to obtain for us all the help necessary to avoid the misfortune of committing mortal sin, incompatible with this divine grace. Obtain for us the favors we crave and implore through you powerful intercession. Amen.

Born: January, 1873, France

Died: September, 1897, France from Tuberculosis

Venerated: August, 1921 by Pope Benedict XV

Beautified: April, 1923 by Pope Pius XI

Canonized: May, 1925 by Pope Pius XI

Why she is venerated by the Holy Roman Catholic Church:

Miracles: A smile from the Virgin Mother of God cured her of disease at age 8
Several Holy See Confirmed Miracles while she was alive and at her grave site

Life of a Saint:

Named Doctor of the Church by Pope John Paul II

Writer of the Story of a Soul and The Little Way

Carmelite Nun by Age 15

Saint Priscilla (Patron Saint of Homemakers)

Saint Priscilla

Patron Saint: Homemakers

Also known as: Prisca

Born: Early first century

Died: Mid - late first century. Martyred in Rome

Why she is venerated by the Holy Roman Catholic Church:

Married to St. Aquila

Converted to Christianity during the time in Rome when it was illegal

Used her home as a church

Martyr

Biblical References:

Acts 18

Romans 16

Timothy 4

Corinthians 16

Fast Food Forward?

When I walk into a Mcdonalds, I'm usually greeted by a young man or woman learning the ropes about work. We all worked in fast food, bussed tables, or had entry level jobs which taught us work ethic and the value of the dollar.

None of us expected to get rich off these jobs. We were making minimum wage. We expected to move onto another job which would teach us and pay us more.

Entry level jobs aren't designed to become a career. There's alot of turnover, and a spot is almost always open for the next batch of high school students.

The problem we're facing now is that for some, the entry level job is becoming a career.

In comes the grassroots protest movement: Fastfood Forward.

Fastfood Forward is made up of around 200 fastfood employees. Their demands?

• $15 an hour
• Unionization
• Full Benefits

What's wrong with this picture?

The same people protesting could find themselves out of a job. If Mcdonalds had to pay someone $15 an hour, provide full benefits, and deal with a Union, theyre going to be extremely selective of who they hire. It will be a golden privilege to work at Mcdonalds.

The employees at this new Mcdonalds will most likely be qualified salespeople. Mcdonalds will have to generate significant revenue to pay these kinds of wages.

Competition will be fierce. Resumes will come from all over. People will move from one state to another to take advantage of Mcdonald's job opportunities.

Unemployment rates for high school kids will rise dramatically. It will be much harder for a high school kid to find a job, and competition will be fierce on that as well.

Prices will go up. A value meal won't be $7 - $8 dollars. It will be more like $15 - $16.

We're already re-thinking fast food because we're trying to eat healthier. We're not going to Mcdonalds if prices are too high.

There's already several politicians supporting the protests. I'm sure these protests are going to expand as time goes on. There will be unintended consequences for this, and we're all going to end up paying for it if this happens.

Falling off the Fiscal Cliff

John Stossel did a piece on the spending of the Federal Government. Below is the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdgyJ6styW4

It's called the Money Hole. I'm shocked by how politicians spend our hard-earned money.

Some of these "grants" include:

• Testing how fast shrimp run on treadmills
• Massive Alpaca farming tax deductions
• Robots that fold laundry
• And many many more

Why are we paying for this stuff?

Government just loves to spend money. It's easy to spend other people's money, especially when you can print more when you've gone over budget.

Is this how we got to the Fiscal Cliff?

I wonder what would happen if we fell off the Fiscal Cliff. It will probably mean that the Government will be forced to spend a little less. That's it.

It's a good start. Anything is better than this deficit. No country is able to sustain this. Look at Greece!

Our children and grandchildren will be paying back our deficit many years from now. Maybe falling off the Fiscal Cliff is just what we need.

Romney Didn't Inspire Us

The Presidential election came and went in a New York minute. In less than an hour, both Republicans and Democrats were shocked. Everyone thought it was going to be so close. It wasn't.

Why?

Romney didn't inspire us. Plain and simple. It had nothing to do with demographics, the mandate on the Catholic Church, gay rights or even the economy. Romney just didn't inspire us.

Reagan inspired us. His ability to transcend party lines couldn't be quantified. George W Bush had a similar ability, albeit not nearly as special. We liked and trusted him. We gave him two terms.

Obama was the Reagan for the 2008 Democrat party. He inspired us. We gave him a term. He didn't however inspire us in 2012, but neither did Romney. Obama was the incumbent. He won because people didn't want to change. They were uninspired.

Now the Democrat party is trying to eliminate the Republican party. They want to reign Republicans in and turn them into the Democrat party. Democrats are saying that Republicans need to change their focus, and try to get votes from all the different demographics.

We aren't statistics. We're people. We aren't demographics. We're human beings. The Republicans don't need to change, or focus energies on attracting specific demographic blocks. We need a leader who inspires all of us.

Patrick
www.apostle.com

Saint Patricia (Patron of Naples)

Also Known as: St. Patricia of Naples

Patron Saint: Naples

Memorial: August 25th

Born: Early - Mid 600s, Modern Turkey

Died: 665 in Naples, Italy

Why she is venerated by the Holy Roman Catholic Church:

Noblewoman who fled an arranged marriage to protect her virginity for God

Pilgrim

Nun of Rome

Miracles:

In the Monastery of Santa Patrizia in Naples, a vial of her blood can be found. Every few years the blood miraculously liquefies and then slowly returns to it's former state.

http://apostle.com/medals/silver-patron-saints/female/saint-patricia-figurine-medal-patron-of-naples

Saint Nicole (Patron of Lost Family Members)

Patron Saint: Loss of Family Members

Name Means: Victorious Army

Also Known as: St. Colette of Corbie

Born: January, 1381

Died: March, 1447 of Natural Causes

Beautified: 1604 by Pope Clement VIII

Canonized: May, 1807

We must faithfully keep what we have promised. If through human weakness we fail, we must always without delay arise again by means of holy penance, and give our attention to leading a good life and to dying a holy death. May the Father of all mercy, the Son by his holy passion, and the Holy Spirit, source of peace, sweetness and love, fill us with their consolation. Amen. 
- Saint Colette, in her spiritual testament to her sisters

Why she is venerated by the Holy Roman Catholic Church:

Franciscan Tertiary

Hermitess and Visionary: - Remained in a cell for days on end with just a window and enough water to subsist. She did this to free herself of outside influence and focus entirely on her visions

Vision of St. Francis of Assisi instructing her to re-establish the Poor Claires, who spread the Message of Christ as missionaries, but did not accept money from anyone

Ecstacy: Was devout in the Passion of Christ, would Meditate and Pray for days experienceing constant and intense visions of Christ

Prophetess: Foretold the day of her death

Life of a Saint:

Founded the Colletines branch of the Poor Claires

Missionary

Founded 14 Convents

Aided in the Healing the French Papal Schism, and is partially responsible for the returning of the Catholic Church to Rome in the late 1300's